Paul deduces that a hitman takes on ultimately more risks for little reward compared to a mob boss or a contractor who receives great payout and relatively little risk.

These lines refer to Siegel’s Theory of Opposites, which is about how good art takes two opposite “forces” and fuses them together. Paul’s own theory applies to real life and how you need to have both good and bad times to experience life.

Fluffers are people who are employed to keep a pornstar aroused on the set of a porno. Paul says that fluffers drool gladly to keep him aroused.

Here, Barman proclaims his distaste for Russell+Hazel notebooks.

3-1-1 is the information hotline for some American and Canadian cities, including New York City.

Actually, Paul Barman is from Jersey… Not quite New York!

Roy Lichtenstein is an early pop art pioneer who lived in the Manhattan area and probably frequented The Broome Street Workshop in SoHo in the 1960’s.

Paul references Jewish-American painter Mark Rothko and jokingly comments on how today you can probably find his rare paintings at a Costco due to the high amounts of fakery and reproduction in today’s society.

Mead no longer makes his favorite type of notebook, unruled.

MCPB’s rhymes will be with you for life, like herpes.

An Azure is a top of the line Bentley convertible that was first introduced in 1995 costing around $350,000